Thai-island Hopping

We had an excellent adventure with Sam's brothers, Joe and Jack, spending most of our time in the islands in the Gulf of Thailand - Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, and Koh Samui. Here are some of the highlights of our two-week trip together. Check out the map page for Thailand to get a better idea of where these places are.

Joe, Jack and I left Chicago in the afternoon on Monday, August 5 and arrived in Bangkok at midnight on Tuesday, August 6, which is twelve hours ahead of Chicago in addition to an almost 24 hour journey. We were exhausted, but so excited to meet up with Sam in the airport and get our bags to our hotel. We cleaned up and went to have a celebratory beer near Khao San Road (a popular backpacker destination full of bars and souvenir shops). We had two days in Bangkok to get accustomed to the time change and visit some historical sites in the capital.

Brothers at the National Museum. Bangkok, Thailand. 7 August 2013

"Fish spas" on Khao San Rd. 7 August 2013

After getting acclimated to the smells and relative chaos of Bangkok compared to Chicago, we ventured on a 12-hour train ride down south to Chumpon. The trains are always late, it's just a question of how long. This ride was only an hour and a half late leaving the station, but at least we could sit on the train while we waited. We arrived in Chumpon in the early morning and were carted around with the other tourists while tourism companies tagged us with different colored stickers signifying which island we were going to. We were herded to the appropriate bus and made the trek to the ferry pier. From there it was a two-hour ride to Koh Tao. You can imagine how thrilling it was to finally see the islands after about 16 hours of traveling.

Ferry from Chumpon to Koh Tao. 9 August 2013

We had a great spot on Koh Tao, away from the main town and overlooking one of the most beautiful bays for snorkeling. Another bonus, we were close to this amazing viewpoint from which you can see the rest of the island.

Koh Tao. 10 August 2013

After enjoying Koh Tao for a couple days, we took another 2 hour ferry to Koh Phangan, most popular amongst backpackers for the Full Moon Party - an enormous gathering of travelers painted in neon and listening to music on the beach, amongst other recreational activities, until the morning. We weren't there at the right time of month, but the tourism industry on the island has tapped into the tourists' love to dance and drink until the wee hours and have a party just about every night. We attended the Half Moon Party, which instead of being on the beach was set up in the middle of the jungle in a natural amphitheater. Amazing. Luckily, we had a lovely resort to recover at the day following.

The crew at Half Moon. Koh Phangan. 14 August 2013

Great Bay Resort, Koh Phangan. 13 August 2013

Following a few days on Koh Phangan, we took yet another ferry to our last and largest island of the trip - Koh Samui. Joe and Jack found us a great place to stay with a pool, and we had some good beach time as well. Being the largest of the islands, it felt quite developed compared to the others and seemed to cater largely to a Russian tourist population. Gorgeous place, friendly people, and a wonderful way to close up our time in the islands.

Brothers on Lamai Beach. Koh Samui. 16 August 2013

Our return trip from the islands was a bit more exciting with a 6-hour delay at the train station in Surat Thani. We entertained ourselves with food, $4 massages, story telling, and music playing. Joe is a whiz at the iPad app where you play piano and it was very pleasant to listen to after a reading of The Hobbit. We were all grateful for our iPads/Phones, etc. And even more grateful for the beds that awaited us on the train when it finally decided to arrive in the station.

We got to Bangkok much later than expected, but were able to have one last hurrah on Khao San Road and buy some souvenirs before the boys' early flight the next morning. Now Sam and I are already planning our next trip with them. Maybe Cambodia?

Farewell to Joe and Jack at the Bangkok airport. 20 August 2013